600-year-old Inca reveal ‘computer-like’ system that could store data, organise records, and even mimic encryption |
PC: National Endowment for the Humanities Before smartphones, spreadsheets, or even written alphabets as we know them, the Inca appear to have managed information in a way that still feels surprisingly advanced. Their system, known as quipu, used knotted cords and colour-coded strings to store records across a vast empire. It was long thought to…